Spicy sausage pasta skillet

This spicy sausage pasta skillet is made in 1 pan with 7 ingredients. There’s so much flavor, it’s hearty and sure to please all.

I know it may seem odd to many American’s, but I wasn’t brought up with ‘Italian sausage’, mild, spicy or otherwise. Sausages in the UK are a bit of a different breed (and I admit I miss them) – the named ones are more like ‘Cumberland’ or ‘Toulouse’ then there’s the likes of ones with apple, leek or other such things. We get sausages regularly in our meat box, though, and I’ve got to like many of them.

However hot Italian sausages, to me, are not really one to eat just as they are with some sides, as we would with most others. Instead, I’ve tended to break it up and use it with pasta. It’s something that works so well as there’s so much flavor in there already and, being Italian seasoning, pasta is a natural pairing. When today’s Sunday Supper theme of skillet meals was announced I knew I had to play around with previous versions to make this spicy sausage pasta skillet, and it was an instant hit. So much flavor, so easy with only one pan and 7 ingredients, it will soon be a regular on your table.

Pasta is something that I think is so easy to like, although it wasn’t something we had much when I was a child. My mum was never that much of a fan, finding pasta a bit boring although she did now and again make it with pesto and lots of additions.

For me, though, it’s a definite fallback meal and I still make my own pesto as our we-have-nothing-to-eat-what-shall-we-have meal. I sometimes plan it a little more for other pasta dishes based on things we have, such as if we have Italian sausages a version of this spicy sausage pasta skillet is on the menu. Now I have made this version, though, I think there’s no way I’ll go back to anything else as this is both so easy and tasty.

How it’s made

All you need to do is cook the onion a little, add some peppers, then the broken up sausage followed by the pasta, tomatoes and water. Leave it to simmer so that the pasta cooks and the sauce thickens. Add a little parmesan, then serve it up. There’s very little work, only one pan and it only takes about half an hour to make. Despite the fact there aren’t too many ingredients, it’s so full of flavor due to the seasonings in the sausages. Plus, it’s a great way to make sausages go further or please the carnivores in the family with a pasta dish.

Of course, if you aren’t a fan of spicy flavors, use a milder sausage instead but I do recommend the hot Italian if you like even just a little chili as the pasta and sauce help balance out the spiciness without losing the flavor.

This spicy sausage pasta skillet makes a great meal any day of the week, with plenty of flavor and limited effort or clean up. In other words, all the best qualities you could look for. Give it a try and you’ll see what I mean.

This spicy sausage pasta skillet is made in 1 pan with 7 ingredients. There's so much flavor, it's hearty and sure to please all.

Course:
Main Course

Cuisine:
American

Servings: 4

Calories: 877kcal

Author: Caroline's Cooking

Ingredients

1onionlarge

1red pepper

1lbhot Italian sausages450g (or other flavorful sausage)

1lbpasta450g

1cupfinely chopped tomatoes240ml

1cupwater240ml (or more if needed)

1/4cupplain yogurt4tbsp

1/4cupparmesan10g, grated

Instructions

Dice the onion and pepper. Heat a little olive oil in a skillet/frying pan and add the onion. Cook, stirring now and then, for around 5min until it is softening but not burning - add a little more oil if needed. Add the pepper and cook another couple minutes.

Meanwhile remove the casing from the sausages. Add it to the pan, breaking it up as you go with a wooden spoon. Stir regularly so the sausage browns all over.

Add the pasta, tomatoes and water. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer then leave to cook until the pasta has cooked (around 8min, depending on your pasta).

Once the pasta has cooked, stir in the yogurt and parmesan, mix in well then serve with a little more parmesan on top.

I”ve made something similar to this but i never cooked the pasta with the sauce. I’ll have to try that next time. I know what you mean about the sausages. We we lived in England I was surprised at the difference in the sausages. They are quite different! I went to a butcher shop for the first time ever over there and the butcher gave me some fresh sausage for free. He said I would be back for more and he was right. It was so good.

Thanks Ruth, I hope you enjoy it. I don’t ever remember seeing Italian sausages in the UK and I was trying to think what the closest equivalent was but there isn’t one that jumps to mind. Hot Italian sausages here are fresh sausages rather than cured as chorizo is (at least normally) and there’s a bit of chili and fennel seeds as the main seasoning. That said, I definitely think it could still work with British sausages – either something like a cumberland and maybe add a little chili to the sauce if you want it slightly spiced, or use chorizo but a bit less and cut into small chunks since it won’t break down as you cook.Or a bit of both – maybe a little chorizo in small pieces cooked initially to give you the flavor then some plainer British sausage as the ‘bulk’. Let me know how it turns out!

Oh I miss the British sausages too. Every time I visit my family in England, I request English sausages and English chocolates 🙂 Nothing quite like it. Love the chipolatas too. This sounds like great comfort food now that the weather is finally cooling down. Thanks for bringing this to Fiesta Friday.

I agree, both sausages and chocolate are things I miss! But then for this dish, I think it is great with the sausages I get here. And yes, it’s great for this time of year. Thanks Loretta, and happy Fiesta Friday (belatedly!)

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Welcome! I'm Caroline and this is where I share recipes inspired by travels, places I want to go, or just ideas from feeding the family. Most recipes are easy to make and healthier, but there are treats too! Read More…

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